From Darkness Into the Light - Marino Restrepo

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speaking of an all-embracing fantasy they call God. In any case, one is faced with the difficulty of communicating either a deeply felt testimony of an encounter with that Creator, or an illusive one, in the case of non-believers.

      There are two main reasons for a human being to publicly confess an encounter with God: the first one is the need to share with others a supernatural experience that cannot be kept naturally; the second one is the divine inspiration to reveal that God-given encounter which forces the person to communicate — in the form of a message — all the teachings that God has infused in his spirit. It could be said that if God has chosen someone to have a personal encounter with him, the onus is on that individual to communicate and attest to such an encounter for the benefit of souls.

      Among the inscrutable mysteries of our Creator are the thousands of personal encounters with His creatures. Innumerable passages of the Scripture refer to them. The meaning and purpose of the messages are closely related to that moment in time when the revelation takes place, as well as to the human instrument where that grace is deposited. Some private revelations have been given to nuns or monks, to help them be a light in their monasteries and communities, as well as a spiritual inspiration to those around them. Often these revelations only come to light many years after they have taken place. When the purpose of a revelation is to reach a large number of souls, the messenger feels this urgency and receives the necessary gifts to complete his mission.

      The story you will read fits into the latter description. Everything I received in my encounter with the Lord is to be communicated to all those chosen by him to receive this message.

      The most incredible thing about the testimony you are about to read is that it is not new at all; it does not say anything that has not already been revealed or written. However, in obedience to our Lord, I will communicate it, being aware that the truth can be expressed in an infinite number of ways and even though being the same truth, it seems to renew itself in each creature. If the truth tired us, we could not bear to see the same old sun or moon everyday. But these always-shining stars look like a new sun and moon to us every day.

      The encounter I will narrate occurred during the time of my kidnapping that began on December 25, 1997 in Colombia, South America. My intent in referring to this event is to share with the reader the mystical experience that motivated this book.

      The political situation of Colombia and the reasons prompting insurgent groups to commit such crimes have no bearing on the story. Thus, everything conveyed about Colombia and these criminals is strictly related to my spiritual experience. The Lord’s message is addressed to our souls, and as such is not bound by nationality, or political or ideological affiliations. The only destiny of souls is salvation or eternal damnation.

      I respect the reader’s interpretation, impression and stand concerning this testimony. I do not intend to convince or to convert anyone. I am certain that only God’s grace can lead us to Him. If the Lord wants to touch someone with my testimony, this will be done by His grace and mercy alone and not through the writing of my story or the experience of my kidnapping.

      Before my spiritual conversion, I was convinced that I had the answers to all mystical matters and that nobody could make me change my point of view and life style. This fact made me even more interested in writing this testimony because, since my encounter, I have lived in obedience to God, facing a surprising reality that has motivated me to share my experience with the largest number of people possible. I realized I did not have all the answers; I also discovered that the mystical experience in my life before my conversion did not come from God but rather from darkness.

      Colombia, September 12, 2000

      I was invited to share my testimony at an upcoming Catholic spiritual retreat. From the moment I entered the place, I felt that the Lord had something very special in mind for me. After I shared my testimony, I was invited to join a silent retreat that would begin on September 12. Personally, I knew it afforded me an opportunity to have a much-needed rest for I had been giving my testimony nearly every day for about four months in different places around the country. Sometimes I had to repeat it twice or three times daily. I did not know much about spiritual retreats. I had always wanted to be in a setting like that and to participate in such an activity. It was like a secret dream come true.

      At the first lecture I attended, the priest discussed the schism in the Catholic Church and explained how evidence of it could already be seen among priests and nuns of different Church branches. He spoke of the Church’s need to go through a passion, crucifixion and death process in order to reach resurrection and Pentecost, since the Church is Christ’s mystical body on earth. The lecturer said, “The Church will suffer great tribulations and persecutions before it is purified”. In other words, everything that goes to Christ belongs to Christ and turns into Christ; therefore, it goes through a Christianizing process similar to that experienced by Christ himself.

      As the priest gave his lecture, I had a very deep experience. It was as if everything he was saying was already inside me, complementing and adding to the information the Lord had previously infused in me.

      I realized this was a wonderful opportunity because I keenly felt that God had anointed this priest, and that the Spirit of the Lord talked through him. This encounter made me happy. Moreover, it reminded me of the period after my conversion when I returned to church and felt sorry for the incredible spiritual poverty of some of our priests and clergymen. Though many of them were highly-trained and well-educated in philosophy and theology, held high degrees and received the benefit of extensive teachings in Rome, the Holy Land and in the best universities around the world, sadly, many were, nonetheless, ignorant of the supernatural life. Seemingly, the more educated they were, the more estranged from God. I will never understand it, but I think it could be the interference of the enemy in our faith. The lecture continued, mirroring my past conversion thoughts as the priest began to discuss today’s laity. My happiness knew no bounds during those moments for the priest’s discussion paralleled what the Lord had earlier instilled in me. The priest also mentioned that it was the laity who would wake up the clergy and the religious communities, making them turn to the Holy Spirit and reconcile with each other.

      While I listened to this man of God, something deep inside of me grew stronger: the certainty that our Lord had called me, in my adulthood, to go around the world to testify that He is alive, that our salvation was not the invention of a group of rebel Jews two thousand years ago, and that the persecution of the early Christians was really an act of martyrdom and not the action of a group of fanatics. I was attracted by the idea of bearing witness to all this and lived this first day of the retreat with an indescribable joy. The silence of all the participants contributed greatly to this wonderful experience.

      I woke up the next day full of enthusiasm and went into the lecture room with my notebook and Bible. I opened up the notebook and reviewed my notes from the previous day. The priest had talked about the devil trying to sabotage God’s plan to save man, and how the Holy Trinity comes to man as a perfect three-dimensional concept — an extensive and very important topic for our concept of faith. At that precise moment I felt clearly our Lord’s presence telling me that those notes would be on the pages of the first book He would inspire me to write.

      Following that inner revelation, the whole retreat experience took on new meaning; the more I immersed myself in it, the deeper the new dimension that presented itself — full of exciting new choices to enrich my spirit. Consequently, at this time I felt myself to be mentally absent from the opening day activities. Fortunately though, this transpired as two members of the group led the worship. There was much anointing and a cheerful spirit filled the air. The chill in the room — due to the lack of heating — gave more tenacity and character to the silence of the congregation. Cold weather in tropical highlands can be felt to the bones. I have always thought that cold weather favors concentration in intellectual activities that demand careful work and discipline.

      God’s perfect timing often catches us by surprise. At moments when we least expect it, He touches us, making us part of His divine pedagogy. Some people were eager to know if I had thought of writing a book about my experience with the Lord. To be honest, I had not even thought about it until the Lord inspired me. This shows that we cannot

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